The Beginning of It All
by Misha
Summary: In the fall of 1975, Elizabeth Brooks meets the newest member of her father's college hockey team, not aware that what is about to happen will shape the rest of her life... Prequel to Of Dreams and Miracles
1. Part First: The First Practice

The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine, most of the characters own themselves. Only Elizabeth, Kathleen and Gloria are the products of my imagination. Everything else belongs to someone else. I'm not making any money off this, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- I know I promised a sequel to "Of Dreams and Miracles" and that is coming, I promise, but I started thinking and well, before I knew it I was writing a prequel. Yes, a prequel. I couldn't help it, I wanted to write the Rob/Elizabeth story, so here it is. This isn't really based on real facts, obviously. It's based on the movie _Miracle _and the back story as they present it there and the back story I created in "Of Dreams and Miracles". This starts in September of 1975 when Rob is in his first year at the U and Elizabeth is a Senior in High School. A lot of the first chapter is from the flashback chapter in "Of Dreams and Miracles", but it does build on it and there will be plenty of new stuff in the coming chapters. That's all, enjoy!

Pairing- Rob/Other.

Summery- In the fall of 1975, Elizabeth Brooks meets the newest member of her father's college hockey team, not aware that what is about to happen will shape the rest of her life...

Rating- PG-13.

* * *

Part One- The First Practice  
  
_September, 1975_

"Elizabeth!" Herb Brooks hollered up the stairs. His wife shot him a disapproving look.

"Herb, it's a Saturday morning, let her sleep in." 

"I have practice this morning, Patti." Herb told her. He was the Head Coach of the University of Minnesota hockey team. "Liz said she wanted to go with me."

"I do." Herb's seventeen year-old daughter Elizabeth answered, running down the stairs. She had shoved her blonde hair into a ponytail and was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Don't you have something you'd rather be doing?" Patti asked, with a frown. She didn't share her husband's love for hockey and she tried hard to keep Elizabeth from being as wholly absorbed in the game as Herb.

Elizabeth shrugged. She was used to this.

"It'll be fun." She told her mother. Stepmother actually, but her real mother had died when she was just a baby, and she considered Patti her mother. "I mean, I had to miss tryouts, so I haven't seen the new guys yet." 

Patti sighed. "Very well. Have fun."

"I will." Elizabeth promised and leaned over to kiss her mother's cheek, then she turned her attention to her father. "So Dad, who are the new guys and what are they like?"

* * *

Elizabeth sat in the stands a little while later, watching the practice. She was taking a good look at the team. She recognized the returning players, of course, so she mainly concentrated on the new guys.

One of them caught her eye right away. He was cute, skated with confidence, and was even at this first practice, easily one of the best out there. She watched him the entire practice and was impressed by what she had seen. No wonder her dad had put him on the team, he was good. 

Once the practice was over, Elizabeth joined her father on the ice. The cute guy was one of the first to notice her.

"Did the team go co-ed?" He quipped.

She smiled, while her father scowled. Herb didn't like it when his players paid attention to his little girl. He was pretty protective.

"I'm Coach Brooks' daughter." She explained. "I come to a lot of practices, I'm kind of like the mini-coach."

That was true, she loved hockey, so she spent as much time as she could at the rink. Her father loved having her around, though her mother didn't really like it.

The guy grinned, shooting her an appreciative look. "Well, that might be, but you're certainly a whole lot cuter than Herb."

Herb's scowl deepened and he addressed the whole team, and the cute guy in particular. "We'll get this out of the way right now, my daughter is completely off limits to all of you." He announced. "I hear about anyone making a move in that direction and there'll be Hell to pay. Got it?" 

Elizabeth smiled, she'd known that was coming. There were a chorus of 'yeahs' and a few grumbles.

Herb nodded. "Good. Practice is over."

The boys left the ice. Elizabeth went back to her seat in the stands and recovered the book she was reading. Her father had some stuff to do, so she still had a lot of time to kill.

After a few minutes, she decided to go wander around. She reached the doors of the building around the same time as a bunch of the players were exiting the locker room.

"Hey, mini-Brooks!" One of the guys called.

Elizabeth shot him a glare, recognizing him from last year. "Don't you call me that again, Davis, not if you value your life. I have a name, use it." 

"What is your name?" The cute guy she had seen earlier inquired.

She smiled at him. "Elizabeth. What's yours?"

"Robbie." He said quickly. "I'm Robbie McClannahan."

"Robbie, it's nice to meet you." She said with a smile. "Sorry about earlier, my dad's pretty protective."

"I can understand why that might be." Robbie told her warmly. "Do you go to the U?" 

Elizabeth shook her head. "That's one of the reasons he's so protective, I'm a senior in high school."

Robbie nodded. "I see. You going to go to the U next year?" 

"That's still up for debate." Elizabeth answered. "My mom wants me to consider other schools and my best friend's mother has her heart set on Ivy, but Kathleen won't go anywhere I'm not."

"Well, I hope you end up here." Robbie told her.

"Probably." Elizabeth told him, noticing that most of the other guys had taken off leaving her and Robbie talking.

Robbie seemed to notice too. "I should get going, need to drop this stuff off at my dorm." He said, motioning to his equipment. "See you later?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth agreed. "No problem."

She watched him walk away, thinking all the time how cute he was.

Too bad her father would never let her date one of his players. Besides, Robbie probably wasn't that interested in her. Still, it would be nice to get to know him better...

* * *


	2. Part Two: About A Party

The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.  
_  
Part Two: About A Party

"Don't you have something better to do with your Saturday morning?" Robbie asked her a few weeks later, after practice. "I mean, we have to be here, what's your excuse?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I like it and usually it's the only time I can make practice. So, here I am."

"You must really like hockey." Robbie commented with a smile.

"I love it." Elizabeth answered him passionately. "It's my favourite thing in the whole world."

"Mine too." Robbie said warmly. "I haven't met a lot of girls who feel that way."

"Do you know many girls whose fathers are hockey coaches?" Elizabeth inquired.

Robbie laughed. "You do have a point there." He looked at her with a grin. "Still, I have to admit, that you're a nice change of scenery and definitly nicer to look at than your father."

Elizabeth laughed. "Flatterer."

"Seriously though, don't you have a boyfriend who objects to his girlfriend spending all her time with a bunch of hockey players?" Robbie inquired. 

Elizabeth smiled. "No, no boyfriend."

She wondered if she should read anything into Robbie asking. Was he asking because he wanted to know or just because?

Robbie just nodded. "That's cool."

"It's something." She agreed, then looked at him. "What about you?"

Robbie shook his head. "No, enjoying my options, college, you know?" 

Elizabeth nodded. "I can understand that."

"Um, there's this party tonight, bunch of people are going, you should drop by." Robbie told her.

"I'm sixteen." Elizabeth told him softly. She hated having to tlel him, because she kinda hoped he might be interested in her, but...

Robbie blinked. "Sixteen, but...?"

"I turn seventeen on Thursday." She informed him. "Still, my dad's **not** gonna let me to go some party here on campus."

"No, that's cool." Robbie said, then he grinned. "I'll catch up with, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and watched him head off. She knew that if he had been kind of itnerested in her, despite her father's warnings, that that interest had just died.

It sucked, but it was to be expected. Damn it.

* * *

"You're in a mopey mood, what's wrong?" Patti asked later that afternoon. 

Elizabeth sighed. "There's this party at the U and I got invited and I had to say I can't go."

"Why?" Patti asked softly.

Elizabeth blinked. "Why what?" 

"Why did you say you can't go?" Patti asked. 

"Because it's a college party and Dad would never let me go." Elizabeth said softly.

"Well, I'm saying you can go." Patti toldher. "You're going to be in college next year, you should check it out. I mean, I want you hope by one and if you come home drunk you're not going oiut for the rest of your life, and I also want you to take Kathleen with you, but I think you should go."

"Seriously?" Elizabeht asked, unable to believe her ears. "I can go?"

She was sure it was too late for Robbie to be interested in her, if that was what the invite had been about. Still, that didn't mean she didn't want to go to the party. She'd spent all of the previous year turning down invites to these things and she really wanted to check one out. 

"I'll go call Kathleen!" She said and then threw her arms around her mother. "I love you!"

"I love you too." Patti said with a smile.

Elizabeth scampered out of the room to go call her best friend, confident that Kathleen would be able to go, because her parents were a lot less strict.

* * *

"What are you all dressed up for?" Herb asked later, when Elizabeth came downstairs, waiting for a Kathleen to pick her up.

She had put on her favourite pair of jeans, the ones that were just faded enough and just a little too tight, and a pink sweater and had Patti put her hair in a French braid.

"Kathleen and I are going out." Elizabeth told him, suddenly afraid that her fahter would derail her plans for the evening.

"Out where?" Herb demanded.

"A party at the U." Elizabeth told him. "A couple of the guys on the team mentioned it to me." 

She said a couple, because she knew her dad would freak if she said that Robbie McClannahan had invited her.

"You're too young to be going to college parties." Herb told her.

"Mom said I could go." Elizabeth argued. "I mean, I'll be going to college next year."

"Kathleen's going with you?" Herb asked.

Elizabeth nodded. "And I'll be back by curfew, I promise."

Herb didn't look happy, but he nodded.

Just then the doorbell rang and Elizabeth raced to answer it. It was Kathleen, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cute red sweater that made the most of her short black hair and big green eyes.

"You ready to go?" Kathleen asked her, then looked behind her to smile at Herb. "Hey, Herb." 

"Kathleen." Herb acknowledged, he looked at his daughter. "Be back by curfew."

"I will." Elizabeth promised, before reaching for the door. "Bye Daddy, I'll see you later."

With that she and Kathleen headed out the door towards their first college party.

* * *


	3. Part Three: College Party

The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Rating in Part One._

_A.N- This is the part where I really just start making things up. As I said, this is based on the movie, not the real facts and since the movie changed things, well I'm going with that. I'm introducing other characters from the movie who also went to the U and just sort of playing with the facts, using birthdates and such to make it work. As I said, this is fiction. That's all for now, enjoy!_

Part Three: College Party

"So how did you get Herb to agree to let you come to this thing?" Kathleen asked as they arrived at the party.

"I didn't, I mentioned it to Mom and she thought it was a good idea." Elizabeth told her.

"Wow, we should make Patti our first line of offence from now on." Kathleen said with a grin. "So tell me about the guy who invited you? You like him right?"

"Yeah, but it's not gonna happen." Elizabeth said with a sigh.

"Why not? He invited you, after all." Kathleen pointed out.

"Yeah, then he found that in addition to being his coach's daughter and in high school, I have the world's most over-protective father who doesn't let me do anything fun." Elizabeth reminded her. "I saw that look, he might have been sorta interested, but it was a passing thing."

"So why are we going to this party then?" Kahtleen asked.

"Because I actaully got permission to go to a college party and guy, or no guy, I didn't think it was an oppertunity that should be waisted." Elizabeth pointed out. "Besides, you love parties."

"That's true." Kathleen told her. "Think Liz, a whole bunch of hot college guys. This is going to be fantastic."

They made it to the place where the party was being held, following the direction of the loud music they could hear blaring.

Once they got inside, Elizabeth saw that the place was packed. "Hey, Liz, is that you?"

Elizabeth turned in the direction she heard her name being called and grinned at the sight of Mike Wright, one of the guys on the team. "Hi Mike."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, coming over to her. "I didn't think Herb let you out of the house except for practice."

"I got paroled, just for this one night." Elizabeth told him.

"Well, come say hi to some of the guys." Mike said, putting his hand on her arm. "I know they'll want to say hi."

Elizabeth looked for Kathleen, but saw her friend was chatting up some guy, so she shrugged and grinned at Mike. "Okay, cool."

"Great." He put his arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesutre and lead her over to where a bunch of the guys from the team were standing.

Rob blinked and then grinned. "Hey, Liz, I thought you said you weren't going to be able to make it."

"I talked to my mom and she said it sounded like fun." Elizabeth told him with a smile.

Robbie grinned. "That's great. Um, can I get you a drink?"

"Oooh, risky." Bill Baker said with a grin. "If Herb fidns out he'll bust your ass."

Robbie shot him a cocky grin. "I think I'll risk it. Liz?"

"That'd be great." She said with a smile. "Thanks."

* * *

Two hours later, Elizabeth was still surrounded by the guys from the team. She had no idea where Kathleen had gotten to and every time she decided to go find out, she eneded up getting drawn back into the circle of conversation instead.

A few of the guys had wandered off, lured away by the attractions of girls who weren't their coach's daughter. Though, to her delight, Robbie wasn't one of them.

"So what are you doing for your birthday?" He asked her with a smile.

"Dinner with my parents on Thursday and then Kathleen and I are going to New York on Friday." Elizabeth told him. "My grandmother lives there and she doesn't come to Minnesota very often, so I'm going to her."

"That's cool." Rob told her. "Wait, that means you won't be at practice next week?"

"Sorry." Elizabeth said with a grin.

"Too bad, you make practice more interesting." Peter Davis said with a grin.

Elizabeth turned to him. "Well, you'll just have to make due with my dad for a week."

The guys exchanged groans.

"Comparing you to Herb is like comparing Farah Fawcett to Gerald Ford." Phil Verchota informed her.

"Am I Gerald or Farrah?" Sher asked innocently.

"Farrah definitly." Rob assured her. "I've never met anyone less like Gerald Ford in my life."

"That's good." Elizabeth said with a giggle. "It's never flattering to be compared to the President, though I can definitly see the resembalance between my dad and Farrah."

The guys all groaned at that. Just then a pretty brunette came over and joined the group. "Hey Robbie." She said ith a smile.

"Oh, hey Crystal." He said smiling at the brunette. "What's up?"

"Well, I was hoping, I could lure you away for a dance." She said flirtatiously.

Robbie paused for a moment, as if he was unsure what to say. Elizabeth saw him look at her and then back at Crystal and realized that he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Or something like that. Maybe he felt responsible because he had invited her to the party, but of course he wanted to dance with Crystal, why wouldn't he?

Elizabeth forced a big smile and looked up at Mike. "You know, dancing sounds like fun." She said brightly. "So how 'bout it, Wright? Want to give it a spin?"

"With you always." Mike said, offering his hand. "You know you're my favourite girl."

Elizabeth smiled again and let him lead her onto the dance floor, forcing herself not to look back at Robbie as she walked away.

* * *

About half an hour, Elizabeth started looking for Kathleen, ready to head home. She hadn't seen Robbie since she had gone to dance with Mike and that had kind of put a damper on her evening. Besides, curfew was fast approaching and she knew if she was late by even a minute, her father would have her head. He'd also use it as a reason as to why she wouldn't be allowed to attend another party for the rest of her life.

No thanks.

She finally tracked down Kathleen in the arms of a guy she didn't recognize. No surprise there, Kathleen seemed to attract guys like honey attracted flies.

"We have to go." Elizabeth announced.

Kathleen sighed. "Must we?"

"Yes, we must." Elizbaeth told her. "At least _I _must, if I want to be allowed to go out ever again."

Kathleen smiled regrettfully at her male companion and then turned back to Eizabeth. "All right, let's go."

* * *


	4. Part Four: Friends or Nothing

The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.  
_  
Part Four: Friends or Nothing

"Mike Wright has a bad reputation with girls." Rob told Elizabeth casually after practice the week after her birthday.

Elizabeth blinked at him. "So?"

"I just thought I'd warn you." Rob told her. "I know your father wouldn't want you getting involved with him."

Elizabeth looked at Rob. He thought she was interested in _Mike?_ "I don't plan on getting involved with Mike." She told him. "I know all about his reputation. Besides, he's not my type."

There was also the fact that Rob was right, Herb would freak out at the very idea. 

"You seemed interested him at the frat party." Rob commented.

Elizabeth blinked. "In Mike?" She asked in disbelief. Where would Rob have gotten that idea? She wouldn't date Mike Wright in a million years, even if she didn't have a crush on _Robbie_.

"You danced with him and all." Rob pointed out.

"We're friends." Elizabeth told him, not about to explain that she had danced with Mike so that Rob could dance with Crystal and not feel like he had to stick around for her sake. "He's totally not my type."

"Good." Rob said, seeming to brighten. "So did you have a good birthday?"

"Yeah, I did." Elizabeth told him with a smile. "New York was fun."

"That's good." Rob said with a smile. "So does seventeen feel any different than sixteen?"

"Not so far." Elizabeth answered. "But being a senior is way better than being a junior."

"Yeah, I remember that from last year." Rob said with a grin. "You're the kings of the castle, one year away from freedom."

"Some freedom." Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I'll be going to the school where my dad coaches and they'll probably try and make me live at home." 

"My parents tried that." Rob told her. "But I convinced them that it was better for me to live on campus." 

"I'm hoping my mom'll come through for me." Elizabeth told him. "She doesn't really want me going to the U at all, but I think she'll help convince my dad that I should at least have some freedom."

"Your dad's pretty protective, huh?" Rob asked as he walked Elizabeth to the doors of the arena.

"Oh, yeah." Elizabeth agreed. "Thankfully, my mom's cool, though."

"Want to come by the dorm?" Rob asked her as they reached the doors. "Or do you have to leave right away?"

"I have my mom's car today because dad had meetings." Elizabeth told him. "So I'm pretty free."

"Cool." Rob said with a grin. "Then come back and hang out for a while."

"Okay." Elizabeth agreed, hoping she didn't sound too giddy.

* * *

"I'm telling you, he likes you." Kathleen told her later that night.

"Kat, I'm sure he doesn't." Elizabeth argued, plopping down on Kathleen's bed. "He's just a friendly guy."

"Uh, huh." Kathleen said doubtfully. "That was why he questioned you about Mike Wright and why he invited you back to his dorm to hang out for what, two hours?"

"Maybe he does like me, a little." Elizabeth conceded. "BUt it's a moot point, my dad would kill us both."

"That is true." Kathleen agreed with a sigh. "Herb is seriously overprotective and he can make Rob's life miserable."

"Yep." Elizabeth agreed, leaning back on the pillows. "So, it's a non-issue. I'll just have to be content to being friends with Rob."

"Better you than me." Kathleen told her. "I don't think I'd have it in me to be _just_ friends with a boy that hot."

"Well, I don't have a choice." Elizabeth told her with a sigh. "Its friends or nothing and there's no way I'm going to let it just be nothing."

* * *


	5. Part Five: First Steps

The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.  
_  
Part Five: First Steps

_New Year's Eve, 1975_

"I'm glad you were able to make it." Rob told Elizabeth with a grin as he handed her a rum and coke.

Rob had invited her to a New Year's Eve Party with a bunch of his high school friends. Elizabeth had talked to her mother and then Patty had talked Herb into it, even letting Elizabeth stay the night at Kathleen's instead of coming home.

She liked this whole being a "High School Senior" thing, because it definitely brought a lot more freedom than she was used to. Herb hadn't been thrilled about her going to a party with one of his player's, but he honestly seemed to like Rob and Elizabeth had assured him they were just friends.

Which was true, though Elizabeth still had a _massive_ crush on him, but she had come to terms with the fact that it probably wasn't going to happen. Still, she was cheered by the fact that Rob didn't really seem to date anyone seriously, though she was sure that he went out, but he had yet to have a _girlfriend_, someone who would crush those last hopes she wouldn't even admit to holding onto.

"I'm glad I was able to make it too." Elizabeth told him with a smile. "I think Kathleen is too." She motioned ot where Kathleen was making out with one of his friend's.

Rob grinned. "Looks like. She's an interesting girl."

"Yeah, she is." Elizabeth agreed. "She knows how to have fun, that's for sure."

"You make it sound like you don't." Rob said softly.

Elizabeth blushed. "I'm not exactly in Kathleen's league."

"Is that a bad thing?" Rob asked gently. "I for one like you just as you are."

Elizabeth blushed deeper, not sure what to say. 

"Hey, Mac, there you are!" A guy whose name Elizabeth couldn't remember called out, coming over to the two of them. "You're not going to hide out all night, are you?" 

And with that the moment, such as it was, was ruined. Rob grinned. "No, I guess not Thompson." He looked at Elizabeth. "Want to go to socialize with these clowns?" 

Elizabeth smiled. "Ok." With that she followed Rob over to a bunch of people, inwardly wondering about what had just happened between the two of them...

* * *

_  
_"10...9...8...7..." The New Years' countdown had begun. "6...5...4...3...2...1...Happy New Year!"

Elizabeth joined in the revelry as they welcomed in 1976.

"Happy New Year." Rob said with a grin, leaning down and brushing his lips over Elizabeth's in a quick peck that couldn't even properly be defined as a kiss...

Though, Elizabeth did know she'd be playing it over in her mind for weeks to come, because while it might not count as a real kiss, it was probably as close as she was over going to get to kissing Robbie. 

"Happy New Year." Elizabeth said shyly, pushing her hair behind her ear.

Before, Rob could say anything else, they were separated, both of them being greeted by other people, as the rather inebriated crowd seemed to feel obligated to spread the New Years cheer...

* * *

_  
_"Robbie kissed me." Elizabeth confessed as soon as she and Kathleen were alone. "Well, sort of."

"What?!" Kathleen exclaimed. "How did I miss this? Details!"

"It was only a peck." Elizabeth explained. "At midnight." 

"Still, it's something!" Kathleen squealed. "What was it like?"

"Kat, it was like a second." Elizabeth explained. "I kiss my cousins for longer..." She paused for a moment and then blushed. "Still, it was really nice. I felt all tingly afterwards, how stupid is that?"

"It's not stupid." Kathleen told her. "Why wouldn't you feel all tingly? Rob McClannahan is pretty hot. Besides, it might have only been a second, but it's still a kiss."

"You think so?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Kathleen exclaimed. "Lizzie, how many times do I have to tell you that Rob likes you?"

Elizabeth was silent. The truth was, she was starting to believe that it might possibly be true, as amazing as it sounded. The problem was, it didn't really change anything. There was still the issue of her father and that was a rather large issue.

"It doesn't matter." Elizabeth said with a sigh. "My father will never allow it."

"Yeah, that is a problem." Kathleen agreed. "But, why think about that now? If I were you, I'd just been concentrating on the fact that the best looking guy at the U just kissed you."

Elizabeth grinned. "You have a point." She leaned back in the spare bed in Kathleen's room and closed her eyes, reliving every precious detail again in her mind. She had a feeling she'd be doing that for quite some time...

* * *


	6. Part Six: Juicy Gossip

_  
_The Beginning of It All  
By Misha

_Disclaimer and Notes in Part One._

Part Six: Juicy Gossip

_Late February, 1976_

"Have you had any luck with Rob, Anne?" A female voice asked.

Elizabeth was in the stall in one of the girls' bathrooms at Rob's residence. She froze, wondering if they were talking about _her_ Rob.

"No." Another voice answered, sounding disgusted. "I've tried everything and nothing's worked."

"You're not going to get anywhere." A third voice said, joining the conversation. "Crystal Barlow pursued him like crazy in the fall and got nowhere."

Crystal, wasn't that the name of the girl from the party? Elizabeth wondered, thinking back to September. She thought so, though it was months ago, so she couldn't be certain. However, she had obsessed over it long enough, that she was pretty sure. If so, then they were definitely talking about her Rob.

"Crystal couldn't get anywhere?" The first girl asked, sounding incredulous. "I didn't know there was a hockey player capable of turning her down."

Yep, they were definitely talking about Robbie.

"Well, he did, multiple times." The third girl confirmed. 

"Does he have a girlfriend? Is that why?" Anne asked in dismay. "If so how come I've never seen her?"

Elizabeth was wondering that herself. There was no way Rob had a girlfriend, after all she would know, wouldn't she?

"Not a girlfriend." The third girl said. "But, according to Lynn Peters who heard it from Jack Lewis, he's got it bad for the coach's daughter. You know, the skinny blonde who's always at his dorm? Apparently, he's got a huge thing for her, but he won't ask her out because of her dad."

Elizabeth was stunned by what she heard. She had suspected that Rob might like her a bit, but to hear it discussed like that, like common knowledge... Wow...

Of course, it didn't change anything, in fact it confirmed what she already knew, that her father was the major obstacle in the road of having any relationship with Rob.

Still... It might be impossible, but it was pretty awesome to hear someone else say that Rob liked her! In fact, Elizabeth wasn't sure she'd ever heard anything as wonderful in her entire life...

* * *

_  
_"So what are you going to do about it?" Kathleen demanded later that afternoon when Elizabeth filled her in on what she had heard.

"What _can_ I do?" Elizabeth asked. "My father's not going to let me date Rob, it's that simple."

"Well, he's not going to be able to forbid in forever." Kathleen pointed out. "In September, you'll be in college. With Rob."

"My dad'll still be his coach." Elizabeth told her.

"Yeah, but he can't kick Rob off the team for dating you." Kathleen said reasonably. "And he can't ground you. Yeah, he can make things difficult for you both, but well, your dad's _always_ difficult."

"September's a long time away." Elizabeth said quietly. "There's no guarantee that Rob'll still be interested."

"No." Kathleen agreed, dashing Elizabeth's fragile hopes in one word. "But, there's no guarantee, he won't be. After all, you've held his interest this long, since like September, so..."

"Yeah." Elizabeth said quietly, not even wanting to go there. She just couldn't let her mind wander to that territory. Not yet.

"So?" Kathleen asked.

"So... I'll keep my fingers crossed." Elizabeth said softly. "And hope that when the time comes, Rob'll still want me."

Knowing that Rob liked her was the best thing Elizabeth had ever heard, but the idea that maybe... No, she couldn't let herself go there.

There was still too many months to go, too many things that could go wrong. The idea that Rob liked her was a miracle in itself, how could she possibly be lucky enough to have him wait for her?

* * *

_  
_


End file.
